BATUMI CHESS OLYMPIAD 2018 ROUND 11 – SKRIPCHENKO vs MARRERO LOPEZ

This game is from round 11 of the 2018 Batumi Chess Olympiad. It features Almira Skripchenko with White against Yaniet Marrero Lopez with Black.

Today’s game features a Giucco Piano.

Skripchenko,Almira (2414) - Marrero Lopez,Yaniet (2281)

43rd Olympiad Batumi 2018 Women Batumi (11.2), 05.10.2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3 a6 6.Bb3 Ba7 7.Nbd2 d6 8.0–0 h6 C54: Giuoco Piano: 4 c3 Nf6, main lines with 5 d4 and 5 d3

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9.Re1 [9.a4 0–0 10.Re1 Re8 11.h3 Be6 12.a5 d5 13.exd5 Bxd5 14.Ne4 Be6 15.Nxf6+ Qxf6 16.Be3 Bxe3 17.Rxe3 Bxb3 18.Qxb3 Qe6 19.Nd2 Qxb3 20.Nxb3 b6 21.axb6 cxb6 22.Nd2 f6 23.Nc4 ½–½ Yudasin,L (2635)-Sokolov,I (2625)/Pamplona 1992/CBM 033] 

9...g5 [9...Be6 10.Nf1 Qd7 11.Ng3 0–0 12.h3 Rfe8 13.Nh4 Bxh3 14.gxh3 Qxh3 15.Nhf5 Ng4 16.Qf3 Bxf2+ 17.Qxf2 Nxf2 18.Kxf2 Kf8 19.Rh1 Qg4 20.Be3 Qg6 21.Nh5 Re6 22.Bxe6 fxe6 23.Rag1 Qe8 24.Nhxg7 Abrahamyan,T (2237)-Melekhina,A (2099)/Stillwater 2007/CBM 119 ext/1–0] 

10.Nc4N [10.Nf1 g4 11.N3d2 h5 (11...Nh5 12.Nc4 Qf6 (12...Nf4 13.Be3 b5 14.Na3 Qf6 15.Bd5 Bd7 16.Nc2 Bxe3 17.Ncxe3 h5 18.a4 Rb8 19.b4 Ne7 20.axb5 axb5 21.Ra7 c6 22.Bb3 Be6 23.Bc2 Neg6 24.d4 Nh4 25.Kh1 0–0 26.Ng3 Ra8 27.Rxa8 King,D (2475)-Hort,V (2590)/Dortmund 1988/CBM 007/1–0 (82)) 13.Be3 Nf4 14.Bxa7 Rxa7 15.d4 Ne7 16.Nce3 Ra8 17.Nd5 Nexd5 18.exd5 0–0 19.dxe5 dxe5 20.Ng3 Qg7 21.Qc2 Bd7 22.Qe4 Rae8 23.Rad1 Kh8 24.Nf5 Qg6 25.Bc2 b5 26.b3 Berglitz,R (2076)-Meier,A (2267)/Altenkirchen 2003/CBM 095 ext/0–1 (41)) 12.Ne3 h4 13.Ndf1 Rg8 14.g3 Rh8 15.Kg2 Bd7 16.Bc2 Qe7 17.d4 0–0–0 18.Nf5 Bxf5 19.exf5 Rh5 20.Be3 Rdh8 21.dxe5 dxe5 22.Bxa7 Nxa7 23.Qe2 hxg3 24.fxg3 Nc6 Martinovic,S (2440)-Trifunovic,M (2300)/Belgrade 1988/TD/1–0 (39)] 

10...g4 11.Nfd2 h5 12.Nf1 b5 Black threatens to win material: b5xc4 

13.Nce3 h4 14.a4 Bd7 15.axb5 axb5 16.d4 Kf8 Black loses the right to castle [16...Nxe4? is nothing because of 17.Nxg4 Qe7 18.Rxe4+-; 16...exd4 is the less attractive alternative 17.Nd5 g3 18.hxg3±] 

17.Nd5 Nh5 18.Be3 Kg7 19.Qd2 Ne7? 

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[¹19...Kg6±] 

20.Rxa7!+- Decoy: a7 

20...Rxa7 21.dxe5 Ra6 [21...Nxd5 22.Bxa7 Ndf4 23.exd6 cxd6 24.Bd4+ f6+-] 

22.Bg5 dxe5 23.Bxe7 Qc8 [23...Qe8 cannot undo what has already been done 24.Qg5+ Rg6 25.Qxe5+ f6 26.Qxc7+-] 

24.Qg5+ Rg6 25.Qxe5+ Kh6 [25...f6 no good, but what else? 26.Bxf6+! Deflection: h4 26...Nxf6 27.Qe7+ Kh6 28.Nxf6 Qd8 29.Qxd7 Rxf6 30.Qxg4 Rg6+-] 

26.Nf4 Nxf4 27.Qxf4+ Kh7 28.Qxf7+ Kh6 29.Qf4+ [29.Bc5 Kh5 30.Rd1 Bf5 31.exf5 Qe8 32.fxg6 Qxf7 33.Bxf7 Kg5 34.Rd5+ Kh6 35.Rh5+ Kg7 36.Bd4+ Kf8 37.g7+ Kxf7 38.gxh8Q c5 39.Qg7+ Ke6 40.Ne3 cxd4 41.Rh6#] 

29...Kh7 30.e5 Bf5 [30...Qe8 praying for a miracle 31.e6 Qxe7 32.Qxc7 Qd8 33.Qxd7+ Qxd7 34.exd7 Ra6+-] 

31.e6 Bd3 [31...Qe8 the only chance to get some counterplay 32.Qxf5 Qxe7+-] 

32.Re5 Qe8 33.Rh5+ [33.Rh5+ Kg8 34.Qf7+ Qxf7 35.exf7+ Kg7 36.Rxh8 Kxh8 37.f8Q+ Kh7 38.Qf7+ Kh6 39.Bf8+ Kh5 40.Qd5+ Rg5 41.Qxd3 Rc5 42.Qh7+ Kg5 43.Bh6+ Kf6 44.Qf7+ Ke5 45.Qf4#]  1–0